Daniel Etim Effiong, an actor and director in Nollywood, has discussed his decision to leave the oil and gas industry in order to pursue a career in acting.
Effiong said he did this to achieve fulfilment when he told this to Ebuka Obi-Uchendu in a discussion.
He continued, “I studied chemical engineering because my lecturers asked me to pursue it,” noting that he had excelled in the sciences in secondary school.
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My ancestors paved the road for us by working in the oil and gas industry. I decided to go into the oil and gas industry. I spent two to three years working in the oil and gas sector. I was neither satisfied nor feeling content.
On the side, I also gave spoken word and open mic performances. That increased my happiness. I chose to devote myself to it full-time after hearing encouraging remarks and after spoke with my parents.
In his third year of college, he remembered telling his parents that he wanted to switch from studying chemical engineering to the arts. He recalled that they thought he was crazy.
When I was a student, I tried switching to acting before but failed. In my third year, I told my parents that I wanted to stop chemical engineering and start over with theatre arts.
The actor went on to claim that the choice he was trying to make forced his family to organise meetings, which distracted him but did not lead him to abandon his goal.
“Two years into the oil and gas sector, the dream resurfaced. I kept it a secret. I gave it a lot of thought before taking the risk. Since then, I have been flying. They called family meetings, distracted, and thought I was nuts. It was put a stop to the dream.
“My first passion was acting. I did it whenever I had the chance, including at church and school. However, I discovered that I easily transitioned into acting, directing, and producing.
Effiong has been in a number of movies both as an actor and a director.